ireland.com - The Irish Times

SDLP to seek talks with parties over all-island plan
THE SDLP is to seek talks with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour over the next week to discuss future all-Ireland options, including a merger with another party. Speaking to party supporters in Dublin last night, SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the party is "exploring all the possibilities", but final decisions would be a matter for the membership. p

Auctioneers agree to publish accurate sales prices
ESTATE AGENTS have undertaken not to publish any house sale price figures in future other than the exact selling price. p

Chairman dismisses GRA criticism
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission - first annual report: THE CHAIRMAN of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has rejected criticisms made at the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association. p

Other Stories

Israel apologises after Irish church leaders told to remove crosses
AN ISRAELI cabinet minister apologised yesterday to the leaders of Ireland's four main churches, who are on a visit to the region, after they were barred from visiting the Western Wall because they were wearing crosses. p
RTÉ staff vote for industrial action over pensions
AN INTERNAL row over staff pensions at RTÉ has intensified, after many employees at the station voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action on the issue. p
DAA staff to ballot for pension improvements
STAFF AT the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) are to ballot on industrial action as part of a campaign for improvements in their pension scheme. The staff concerned are members of the Irish Aviation (General Employees) Superannuation Scheme, which also includes employees of Aer Lingus and SR Technics, formerly Team Aer Lingus. p
Two hearses and 500 bowed mourners
MOURNERS WERE waiting two hours before the removal service was to begin, two hours before the final journey of Diarmuid and Lorraine Flood and their children, Julie and Mark, to the beautiful, 150-year-old parish church of St Clement's at Cloughbawn, half a mile from their home village of Clonroche. p
Employers signal concern over new employment Bill
EMPLOYERS HAVE signalled that they are unhappy with elements of the Government's new Employment Rights Compliance Bill which will seek to overhaul the State's employment rights framework. p
Teenagers' quest for body beauty leading to eating disorders
UP TO 11 per cent of girls and 3 per cent of boys in Ireland are at risk of suffering from an eating disorder, a new study has indicated. p
Automatic FOI compliance recommended
NEW STATE bodies should automatically be required to comply with the Freedom of Information Act, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner Emily O'Reilly has said. p
Taoiseach emphasises importance of Yes vote
THE TAOISEACH again emphasised the importance of a Yes vote to the Lisbon Treaty in a speech on the second day of his US visit, which elaborated on some of the themes in his address to Congress. p
Ahern's speech to Congress goes largely unnoticed by US newspapers
THE TAOISEACH'S address to the joint session of Congress received little media coverage in the United States, with few newspapers reporting the speech. p
Governor of Maryland praises Ahern
MARYLAND'S governor Martin O'Malley has paid tribute to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, describing him as one of the most dynamic and accomplished European leaders of recent years and whose modest personal style served to amplify Ireland's message in the US. p
FF-Greens deal 'must not affect' incinerator decision
DUBLIN CITY Council has warned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that any agreements between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party in relation to waste management must not affect the decision to grant a licence to the Poolbeg incinerator. p
Vandalism at Shell's Corrib site linked to pipeline opponents
GARDAÍ ARE investigating a number of attacks on property owned by the Shell oil company at the site where its Corrib gas pipeline will reach the shore in Co Mayo. p
Teenagers' quest for body beauty leading to eating disorders
UP TO 11 per cent of girls and 3 per cent of boys in Ireland are at risk of suffering from an eating disorder, a new study has indicated. p
Tenancies board getting many registration errors
THOUSANDS OF registrations by landlords to the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) have to be returned because of failures to complete the paperwork properly. p
Minister reviews soldiers for Chad
MINISTER FOR Defence Willie O'Dea yesterday reviewed the 97th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Defence Forces bound for Chad and the Central African Republic on May 19th. p
Aftercare supportfor youths urged
A STATUTORY right to aftercare to prevent young people leaving care services becoming homeless, was called for by charity group Focus Ireland yesterday. p
Integration plan to avoid urban ghettoes - Lenihan
AVOIDING THE creation of "parallel societies" and urban ghettoes will be a guiding principle of the Government's integration strategy, Minister of State for Integration Conor Lenihan has said. p
Audit of enrolment policies defended
MINISTER FOR Education Mary Hanafin has strongly defended her department's audit of school enrolment policies, despite criticism from Catholic second-level school managers. The Minister signalled that some schools in the audit had serious questions to address. p
TV licence exemption for those who watch on mobiles or PCs
TECH-SAVVY viewers who watch digital television on their computers or mobile phones will be exempt from paying licence fees, under new measures announced yesterday. p
In short
More news in brief. p

Lisbon Treaty

Kenny urges supporters to vote Yes
Fine Gael campaign launch: FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has urged party supporters to refrain from using the Lisbon referendum to express their opposition to the Government but to "hold their fire" until next year's local and European elections. p
Fighting talking from Fine Gael rallies voters for a robust treaty campaign
ANALYSIS: FINE GAEL intends playing a full part in the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign - but there was a time when the softly-softly approach was seen as the best way for the Yes side to win a European referendum. It has to be said that this minimalist approach to campaigning suited some politicians very well, writes Deaglán De Bréadún . p

IMC report

Murder of Quinn 'not linked to' IRA leaders
THE IRA organisation did not kill Paul Quinn although "local members or former members" of the republican group were involved in his murder, the Independent Monitoring Commission has found. p
Victim's father accepts and welcomes report's findings
THE FATHER of murder victim Paul Quinn welcomed and accepted the IMC report as confirmation of his belief that it was "a local outfit belonging to the IRA that would have done this". p

In the Courts

Supreme Court says Nigerian parents of two Irish-born children can stay
THE SUPREME Court has unanimously rejected a bid by the Minister for Justice to uphold deportation orders issued against the foreign national parents of two Irish citizen children born here before 2005. p
Businessman says council whip helped with planning
A PROMINENT businessman has told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he received assistance on planning matters from the former Fianna Fáil chief whip on Dublin county council, the late Patrick Dunne. p
Pharmacists and HSE agree to enter mediation
THE HSE and the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) have agreed to strong urging by a High Court judge to enter court-supervised mediation aimed at resolving the long- running dispute over the HSE's decision to reduce payments for services supplied under community medical schemes. p
Man loses challenge to Cab tax demand
A MAN who leased land from Geraldine Gilligan, ex-wife of drug dealer John Gilligan, has lost a High Court challenge to "bare and unexplained" tax assessments issued against him by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab). p
Private club not allowed to keep public away
AN "ELITE" club due to open on St Stephen's Green at the end of the month has been granted a public house licence - but with conditions attached. p
Coroner appeals for help over killing
THE DUBLIN city coroner yesterday issued an appeal for public assistance in relation to the death of a father of six who was shot three times by a lone gunman after he returned home having dropped his children to school. p
In short
More news from the courts in brief. p

In the Dáil

Roche claims Libertas trying to mislead public
THERE IS “absolutely no question that a referendum could be ruled out by the Lisbon reform treaty or avoided by the Government”, Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche has insisted. “Those who suggest otherwise are guilty of trying to mislead the public,” he said in the Dáil. p
TD has 'grave worries' about overground North-South power link
FINE GAEL TD James Bannon warned about the environmental implications of the North-South interconnector. p
Call for debate on rights report
A DÁIL debate on a European human rights report was demanded by Labour’s spokesman on foreign affairs Michael D Higgins. p
Query on hepatitis C data in dumped files
A CALL has been made for the HSE to confirm that medical records found dumped in Co Cork included files on women who suffered from hepatitis C. p
Martin says he will deliver industrial relations Bill
MINISTER FOR Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin insisted that proposed Government industrial relations legislation will be introduced before the next general election. p
Micheál sent in to face the Opposition as Cowen keeps his promise
Never let it be said that Brian Cowen doesn't keep his promises. He started yesterday by keeping a pledge made in the Dáil last week to Fine Gael's PJ Sheehan, writes Marie O'Halloran . p
EU has given Europe its longest peace, says Roche
SEANAD REPORT: Speaking in the debate on the referendum Bill, Mr Roche said he did not understand, after 35 years of remarkable progress, how it was that people in Ireland conjured shadows about Europe. p

Mahon Tribunal

Joe Burke denies he solicited £500,000 for Ahern
CHAIRMAN OF Dublin Port Company Joe Burke has denied asking Luton-based developer Tom Gilmartin for £500,000 on behalf of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. p

Moriarty Tribunal

O'Brien may attend today at unexpected sitting on role of Bacon
THE MORIARTY (payments to politicians) tribunal is to sit again today in relation to the role played by economist Dr Peter Bacon in the tribunal's inquiry into the 1995 second mobile phone licence competition. p

POA conference

Prisons to get airport-style security from tomorrow
THE INTRODUCTION of airport-style security measures at prisons throughout the State is to begin tomorrow. p
Bullets sent to officers in campaign of intimidation
PRISON OFFICERS have been sent bullets through the post in an ongoing campaign based on fear and intimidation, delegates at the annual conference of the Prison Officers' Association were told. p

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission

Commission receives 3,000 complaints in first year
KEY FINDINGS: ALMOST 3,000 complaints have been received by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) since it became operational almost a year ago, according to its chairman, Mr Justice Kevin Haugh. p
Amendments to Act sought
OPERATIONS: THE GARDA Síochána Ombudsman Commission is seeking a number of amendments to the Garda Síochána Act to streamline its operations and give it more flexibility. p

Regional News

Harney booed as she opens Castlebar BreastCheck centre
MINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney was booed by about 300 protesters when she arrived to open a new BreastCheck service at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar yesterday. p
Concerns raised after hospital files found at Cork landfill
SERIOUS CONCERNS and questions have been raised following the discovery of thousands of confidential patient records in a former landfill site in east Cork. p
One firm caters for 20% of all asylum seekers
ONE PRIVATE company accommodates over 20 per cent of the 6,850 asylum seekers located in 63 privately-run "direct provision" centres around Ireland. p
Renewed appeal on 10th anniversary of Mayo killing
GARDAÍ in Mayo say that their investigation into the murder of elderly shopkeeper Eddie Fitzmaurice 10 years ago this week is still active. p
New court building for Castleblayney to replace unsafe town hall site
PLANS HAVE been announced by the Courts Service for the building of a new courthouse at Castleblayney, Co Monaghan. p

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